[Incorrigible]

With Alberta as America's 51st state, the U.S. would secure 300 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves, more than exist in Saudi Arabia. U.S. oil imports would plummet and America's great dependence on foreign oil would vanish.

If this is true, why isn't Canada selling us this oil at today's market price.  Something tells me there's more to the story.

[xm177e2]

If this is true, why isn't Canada selling us this oil at today's market price. Something tells me there's more to the story.

We get about half of our oil from Canada, I think.

[Mister Magoo]

The reason is simply that it is not economically feasible to extract much of Alberta's oil reserves. Much of the oil is located in "oil sands." Oil Sands are naturally occurring mixtures of bitumen, water, sand and clay that are found in three areas of Alberta - Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake.

Bitumen is a thick, sticky form of crude oil. At room temperature, bitumen is like cold molasses. It must be heated or diluted before it will flow into a well or through a pipeline.

If the oil sands deposits are close to the surface, bitumen can be recovered from the oil sands by open-pit mining and hot-water processing methods. Deeper deposits require in-situ methods such as steam injection through vertical or horizontal wells.

As new technologies are developed, up to 315 billion barrels are ultimately recoverable, compared with Saudi Arabia’s 262 billion barrels of proven reserves, U.S. reserves of 22 billion barrels and Mexico’s 28 billion barrels

[stands2reason]

If this is true, why isn't Canada selling us this oil at today's market price.

What makes you think they aren't? Still, the cost to process it is rather high I believe (removing the sand), but IIRC, Canada still is our no. 2 oil producer.

[Alberta's Child]

With Alberta as America's 51st state, the U.S. would secure 300 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves, more than exist in Saudi Arabia.

With Alberta as the 51st state, this oil would promptly be declared off-limits as a result of endless litigation by environmentalists.

[gcruse]

If this is true, why isn't Canada selling us this oil at today's market price.

As I recall, Canada does sell us that and buys world oil for eastern Canada's consumption.
We use more than we buy from them, evidently.

[Sicvee]

I think it is tar sands oil, and probably costs more to recover because it requires heat injection or other expensive technology beyond drilling and pumping. So they can't sell it at the current market price and make any money. Just as you couldn't make a profit on ethanol without a massive government subsidy.

Flame away! I'm just speculating here.